How it all began

Women Who Score started at as a fund raising concert idea between pianist Angela Draghicescu and executive director Felipe Vera. Inspired by the music and life of Louise Farrenc, they felt compelled to discover more about the incredible music they were only just now discovering and to answer the question on many of our minds: “Why haven't we heard of these women or their music?"

The answer was a series of concerts showcasing the works of women that were silenced due to culture, religion, racism, misused privilege, and inequality. The goal is to promote the conversation on getting this music and its composers the status they deserve by merit.

Our mission

Women Who Score's mission is to entertain, educate, enrich and elevate our audiences through series of recitals featuring female written compositions distinguished for innovation, diversity and artistic excellence that have been silenced through history

How we fulfill our mission

Entertain

Presenting high quality female composed music and other musical events that are read about in history and finally heard today, realizing the significant contributions to herstory and the cultural landscape we now live in.

Educate

Celebrating the female existence through partnering with artists and organizations that share our values and mission.

Enrich

Attracting a diverse audience and patronage while building bridges and fostering an awareness, understanding and respect for female composers, those who identify as female and our shared human experience.

Elevate

Uniting the human experience through the power of music in a nurturing environment.

Founders

Angela Draghicescu, Artistic Director

Hailed by the New York Times as “spectacular and elegant”, Romanian - American pianist Angela Draghicescu has quickly established a reputation as a much sought-after collaborative artist and chamber musician. She performs regularly in major centers throughout the world with many of this generation’s most renowned musicians. Recent engagements have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Benaroya Hall, Salle Gaveau, as well as many other venues in Europe, the US, and Asia. She is a frequent guest on Classical King FM 98.1 Seattle. Angela performs and teaches regularly at many renowned music festivals including Aspen, Verbiers, Interlochen Arts Academy, Round Top Music Festival, Seattle Young Artist Music Festival, SiPiano (Switzerland), and a frequent radio guest on WQXR New York and Classical King FM Seattle. Deeply committed to new music, she has premiered and commissioned works by William Bolcom, Dan Welcher, and Donald Grantham. She is the official pianist of the George Enescu International Competition, having been selected under the artistic guidance of Zubin Mehta and Vladimir Jurowksi.

If a society’s worth is judged on how conducive it is to the cultivation and development of creative and artistic genius, then the incredibly talented women composers can serve as a cautionary tale. In that context, when we allow prejudice and sexism to affect our judgment we essentially cripple ourselves. When we choke off or otherwise inhibit the flow of such genius from 50% of the population it becomes impossible for us to achieve our full potential, and the world is poorer for it. For every woman composer who was strong enough to break through these barriers, we will never know how many more young women had the potential to be as great but failed to thrive in such an environment. When I hear this music, I am reminded how much poorer the world was for the century that these works were neglected and forgotten, and how much poorer I was for the many years I was unaware of their existence. May we all live to see the day when such music and musicianship is allowed to stand on its own merits, free of all prejudice and preconception beyond the refinement of an audience’s ears.

— Angela Draghicescu

Felipe Vera, Executive Director

Felipe Vera comes to Women Who Score as its co-founder and Executive Director. Originally from Texas, Felipe has had an eclectic career encompassing various areas of the music world. He has a background in non-profit organizations having worked as a Development Associate for the Turtle Creek Chorale of Dallas, TX. Felipe is also the co-founder of the Mill Ave Chamber Players of Phoenix, AZ where he also served as executive director. As a performer, Felipe has performed with the Amarillo Symphony, CorpusChristi Symphony, Midland Odessa Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Musica Nova Symphony, and others throughout the South West. He was also on staff at the University of Texas at Austin where he taught applied lessons and ran special recruitment events such as UT Horn Day. Felipe also served as Associate Professor of Horn at Blinn College while maintaining an active studio of private lesson students from all over the South West. He currently works as Operations Coordinator for University Unitarian Church in Seattle.

I felt connected with this concert and with the cause because having grown up the son of migrant farm workers, having had few opportunities in life to lift myself up, I could connect and related to these women who have been silenced throughout history. We have a responsibility to bring light and attention to the cause and our political atmosphere along with a new sense of self caused by relocating to Seattle compelled me to collaborate with Angie in making this organization a success.